Drone Swarm Coordination

Develop a simulation system to coordinate and control a swarm of drones for various applications. The project could include:

• Creating algorithms for formation flying
• Creating algorithms for synchronized movements
• Collaborative tasks
• Obstacle detection and avoidance system within the drone swarm

Tentative 14-week timeline

• Weeks 1-2: Project Planning, Research, and System Architecture Design
  • Define project scope, objectives, and requirements.
  • Research existing drone coordination systems, algorithms, and technologies.
  • Identify the specific features and functionalities to be implemented.
• Weeks 3-4: System Architecture Design
  • Design the overall system architecture, including communication protocols and data flow.
  • Specify the components of the system and their interactions.
  • Consider the integration of simulation tools for testing.
• Weeks 5-6: Algorithm Design and Prototyping
  • Develop algorithms for formation flying, synchronized movements, and collaborative tasks.
  • Create prototypes for individual coordination algorithms.
  • Begin testing algorithms in a simplified environment.
• Weeks 7-8: Simulation Environment Setup
  • Choose and set up a suitable drone simulation environment (e.g., Gazebo, AirSim, or custom Python-based simulation).
  • Integrate the developed algorithms into the simulation environment.
  • Begin testing coordination algorithms within the simulated environment.
• Weeks 9-10: Advanced Features Implementation
  • Implement additional features, such as obstacle avoidance, energy optimization, fault tolerance, and adaptive communication protocols.
  • Integrate these features into the simulation environment.
  • Test the coordinated behavior of the drone swarm with the new features.
• Weeks 11-12: Testing and Optimization
  • Conduct thorough testing of the entire system in the simulated environment.
  • Identify and address any performance bottlenecks or issues.
  • Optimize algorithms and system components for efficiency and reliability.
• Weeks 13-14: Integration, Documentation, and Demo Preparation
  • Integrate all components of the Drone Swarm Coordination system.
  • Document the system architecture, algorithms, and key design decisions.
  • Prepare a demo showcasing the coordinated behavior of the drone swarm.
  • Practice and refine the demo for the final presentation.
• Week 14: Demo and Presentation
  • Conduct the final demo of the Drone Swarm Coordination system.
  • Present the project, highlighting key features, challenges faced, and lessons learned.
  • Submit any required documentation or project reports.

Reading List

Non-exhaustive list of readings that may help with the project.

• A multiple-drone arc routing and mothership coordination problem
• Building and Simulating Multi-Dimensional Drone Topologies
• Communication and Coordination for Drone Networks
• Drone networks: Communications, coordination, and sensing
• Information Exchange and Decision Making in Micro Aerial Vehicle Networks for Cooperative Search
• Multiple UAV Coordination
• Multi-Robot Persistent Surveillance With Connectivity Constraints
• Networked UAVs as aerial sensor network for disaster management applications
• Obstacle-Aware and Energy-Efficient Multi-Drone Coordination and Networking for Disaster Response